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About Dan Weber

Award Winning songwriter Dan Weber has been described as “The Classic, Mid-Life, Overnight Sensation.” A gifted storyteller and inspiring performer, in 2014 he Won 2nd place in the prestigious Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and was honored to become a rare 2-time finalist in the legendary Kerrville Folk Festival ‘New Folk’ competition. In 2014 he also received several other national songwriting contest honors.
An ex-Park Ranger, Eagle Scout, ‘recovering’ Altar boy and lifelong ‘Deadhead’, he left his hometown of Rochester, NY in 1989 in a beat-up primer grey ‘78 Pontiac Trans-Am with a ‘guy named Joe’ he’d met in a bar the night before, and never looked back. Living first in Seattle, then in a sheepherder’s trailer in Utah’s remote Canyonlands National Park, he eventually moved to Portland, OR, and settled in a 1948 shipyard worker’s house in Vancouver, VA. Along the way he picked up stories and hitchhikers and eventually, picked up a guitar.
Weber began performing at 40 and in a few short years was winning over audiences with energetic performances and hilarious stories from the roads he’s traveled. None other than legendary Folk troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott said “I love Dan’s songs and he tells really good stories.”
His songs have been described as ‘Timeless’ and ‘Authentic’ and his debut CD ‘Ash and Bone’ received accolades from American Songwriter Magazine and the UK’s Maverick Magazine said: “4 Stars: Has you hanging on to every word. That’s the touch of a true Master Craftsman songwriter.”
There’s also been recognition from DJ’s: “’Hank and Jesus’ is easily the best folk song I heard last year” and The Victory Review magazine wrote “Weber's writing is as strong as any in the Contemporary Folk community. ‘Goodbye to Dad’ is one of the best original tunes that I have heard in a long time.”
In 2015 Weber begins a new chapter with ‘What I’m Lookin’ For’: A 14 song CD of classic Americana that includes the stirring Folk tribute ‘Oh Woody’, Country-Roots on ‘Cowboy Style’, Bluegrass banjo/Dobro master Tony Furtado on several cuts, and the crowd sing-a-long favorite ‘(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day’, an everyman’s anthem that is poised to be a breakout hit.

I Hope you had a great Holiday! Mine was a head-scratcher–literally. My wonderful wife Diane bought me one of those weird looking wire head-scratchers. It’s hard to describe but when you use it you feel like you’re communicating with aliens. So naturally I love it!

BTW—I’ve started using ‘Mail Chimp’ for these occasional missives I call the ‘(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day’ Newsletter. Mostly because I thought the Monkey was kinda cute…

Lots of News and New Music afoot:

#1 The NEW CD, ‘What I’m Lookin For’ is so close to being done I can taste it and will be released on March 21st & 22nd at a very special 2 Night Celebration at Artichoke Music in Portland (see below). Both shows will be recorded for a LIVE CD and there will be several great musical guests. In short–it’s gonna be FAN-tastic!!!

-‘What I’m Lookin For’ has 14 new songs including ‘(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day’, ‘Oh Woody’, ‘Pretty Good Tonight’, and ‘Do You Ride Horses’ to name a few and several you’ve probably not heard before since I’ve not played them live. I Loved ‘Ash and Bone’ (and still do) but ‘What I’m Lookin For’ is my best songwriting yet and it somehow feels more ‘Personal’, so I really think you’re gonna love it!

-Reservations for the show are available starting Tuesday, January 6th (through Artichoke Music) and they will likely go FAST so get yours early!! To Reserve your seats (15.00 each) Contact Artichoke Music at 503-232-8845.

#2 I’ve got a short Valentine’s Day Weekend Tour in Texas and Oklahoma–that I’m Super-Excited about!! Uncle Calvins in Dallas, Rouse House Concerts in Houston, and the Historic Depot for the Winter Wind Concert Series in Norman, OK. It’s gonna be GREAT!!!

-Dates/Links below. Please do tell your friends and family in those parts—I’d Love to meet ‘em and play for them–besides, it’s gonna be waaaaay better than the crowded restaurants that weekend!!

-BTW, the tour ends in Kansas City at the Folk Alliance International Music Conference. Think of 1,000 musicians all staying in the same hotel playing music all night long. Usually breaks up about 4am. Yikes…

#3 I’ve got 2 Local Shows coming up!:

-On Saturday January 24th it’s Songwriter’s Night with Bob Howard at the Historic Ascension Chapel in Portland. Details below. Jerry Towell will join me. This will be a really fun night to play in such a cool place!

-I’ll also be playing at the Peninsula Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, WA with Jerry Towell on Saturday April 11th. I think it’d be a Perfect plan to take a Spring weekend at the beach, don’t you??

#4 I’ve been named a Finalist in the South Florida Folk Festival’s Songwriting Contest in Ft. Lauderdale on January 17th-18th. They had me at ‘Ft. Lauderdale in January’. A great lineup too! Friends in Florida?? Have ‘em check it out!

Lastly, and most importantly, I wanted to say a HUGE ‘Thank YOU’ for all the support this last year! So many great things happened in 2014: A 2nd time as a Kerrville ‘New Folk’ Finalist, the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, opening for Ian Tyson, Tom May’s Winterfolk at the Aladdin, the SWRFA conference, Tucson, CT Folk, Tumbleweed, and the epic ‘Front Porch’ tour!

Dang, it WAS a Great year!!

But the thing is–if you know me well–then you know that the MOST rewarding part of playing the shows was meeting folks all over the country and getting to know them. I met so many Wonderful people and your hospitality and kind words are what kept me going. It’s as Simple as that. So ‘Thank YOU!’ for Listening, Reading, Sharing, and Helping me make this long, Crazy musical journey of mine possible…I’m humbled by your overwhelming show of support.

Hey–If you have a favorite local venue you’d like me to play at or would be interested in hosting a House Concert (which ARE the greatest things since sliced bread BTW), shoot me an email, let’s talk!!!

And one last BIG Thanks! to my crack team–my ‘Tribe’–of ridiculously Cool Friends, Fans, Independent DJ’s and just Wonderful People (You know who you are!!!) who keep sharing the songs and the CD’s with their friends, family, etc. It’s truly extraordinary and it means so, so much to me. Please Don’t Stop Now!

Gratefully!
dan

“My Funny (Texas/Oklahoma) Valentine Tour”

I’m Super EXCITED to play 3 shows over Valentine’s Day Weekend in Texas and Oklahoma!!

Friday February 13th: Opening for the Great Trio ‘Brother Sun’ at the Legendary Uncle Calvin’s in Dallas, TX.
https://www.unclecalvins.org/showprofile.aspx?showdate=201502132000

Saturday February 14th: Valentines Day at the Fabulous Rouse House Concerts in Houston Heights, TX!
https://www.facebook.com/rouse.house.concerts

Sunday February 15th: The Fantastic Winter Wind Concert Series at the Historic Norman Depot in Norman, OK.
https://www.pasnorman.org/programs/winterwind

Do Tell your Friends and Family in Texas and Oklahoma to come see us!!!

‘What I’m Lookin’ For’ CD Release Shows!!!

March 21st & 22nd, 2015.

A Very Special 2 Night CD Release Celebration at Artichoke Music for ‘What I’m Lookin’ For’, my Brand New CD featuring 14 songs including ‘Oh Woody’ and ‘(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day’.

Both shows will be Recorded for an upcoming LIVE CD and will include Special Musical guests including:

Jerry Towell: Guitar, Tim Connell: Mandolin & Anna Tivel: Fiddle with more guests to come! These are going to be 2 AMAZING shows!!!

**Note: Artichoke is a Wonderful, Intimate venue, so seating is EXTREMELY Limited. Reservations are available starting Tuesday, January 6th.**

To Reserve your seats (15.00 each), Contact Artichoke Music at 503-232-8845.
https://artichokemusic.org/contact/index.html
You don’t want to miss these Special Shows!!

P.S.: Artichoke is the HEART of the local acoustic music scene and has the finest listening room in Portland. They’re a non-profit and could really use your support!

Saturday, January 24th. Songwriter’s Night with Bob Howard at the Historic Ascension Chapel in Portland. Jerry Towell joins us. Note: There will be a Potluck at 5:30 pm, then Bob and I will be doing a fun Q&A/Workshop titled: “Creativity After 40: It’s Never Too Late to Start.” Show at 7:00 pm.

Saturday, April 11th at the Peninsula Arts Center in Long Beach, WA with Jerry Towell. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time–it’ll be a great weekend at the Beach!!
https://peninsulaartscenter.org/concerts/

Just got this email:

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a Finalist in the 2015 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition, for your songs ‘Hank & Jesus’ and ‘Oh Woody.’ We had a huge number of submissions, and the fact that you were selected is a reflection of how highly all of our judges regarded your music. You should be extremely proud.”

Grateful Blog Day 106: Sunday was one of those ridiculously amazing days where everything that’s good can and did happen to me…I can’t even talk about it now. So mostly I ran around the house and jumped up and down and yelled a bit and scared the hell out of my cat Zeke. I’m Grateful he didn’t take it personally…

Grateful Blog Day 105: (this was Saturday’s Grateful Blog…I’m behind…). I saw Hayes Carll in concert on Saturday night. The best part of the show was seeing so many friends there. Four years ago I didn’t know a single one of those folks so that never would have happened back then. But when I got there (late as usual) I first ran into a friend who works at the venue. Hugs, catching up, laughs. I miss seeing her. Then I headed in the theater and found my group of friends. More hugs, catching up, laughs. They had a spare seat and I settled in for a really good show. I sat next to Bonnie who has the world’s best taste I music, Rich passed a flask of ‘Old Weller’ on the sly and dear Cheryl threw crumpled dollar bills at my head during show. You know you’re loved when that happens. So I’m Grateful for that as well as the hugs, the catching up, the laughs, and a seat saved amongst friends. It was a really good show…

Grateful Blog Day 104: I woke up in Pendleton, Oregon the other morning, the town made famous by its annual rodeo and the woolen mills by the same name. It was a little disorienting since I’d been camping in the desert for several days and had seen or spoken with virtually no one. And suddenly there I was, waking up in a motel with the train roaring by and a complimentary breakfast. I skipped it. I drove around downtown 5 or 6 times. It doesn’t take long and after a few trips around the downtown blocks you’ve seen it all—5 or 6 times. I grabbed coffee and headed back to the motel to pack when I noticed the Pendleton Woolen Mills store. I was wearing my favorite Pendleton wool/down vest. It’s probably the most comfortable and most versatile piece of clothing I own. Its part vest, part coat, part pillow and part seat cushion. Half the time I come in the house and keep it on for another hour; it’s THAT comfortable and frankly, why be cold while the house is still heating up?

So I wandered in and the store was dead at that hour; just me and the sales clerk. She noticed my vest and we talked a minute or 2. Mostly I told her how much I loved it but it was in pretty sorry shape due to a torn pocket and exactly five different tears—the last 2 coming courtesy of some barbed wire I got tangled with a few hundred miles ago a few days earlier. She said ‘Take off the vest, let me see’. I didn’t really think about it, I just did. She saw the damage, said ‘a whip-stitch wouldn’t be pretty but it’d do the trick’ and I nodded ‘uh huh’ as if I had a clue what a ‘whip-stitch’ was. Then she said ‘do you have 15 minutes?’ Yeah sure. ‘Great!’ It what seemed like 5 seconds, she had a drawer open and a handful of spools of thread and various needles on the table and began sewing. We talked a little bit longer but I could see it’d be easier if I just left her alone so I did.

It’s weird, the whole time I had that feeling you get when someone chooses to take over and you let them—like getting a massage. At first there’s an unfamiliarity to negotiate, then some odd warm and prickly feeling in the back of your neck and then the general feeling of well-being when someone unselfishly gives of themselves. I’m pretty sure it’s not in the employee handbook for sales clerks to offer to sew customer’s Pendleton garments right there and then—I’m pretty sure they’re not supposed to fix them at all. And I’m quite certain there job is to sell you anther one. Believe me, I looked. No luck.

So 15 minutes later she was done. Her sewing was efficient (mind you I’m no expert) and she said it was far from perfect but I begged to differ. I walked into the store with my favorite torn vest on, smelling of campfire smoke, and she literally just took it upon herself to fix it. I didn’t catch her name but I want to write the company a letter to tell them how Grateful I was she was working that morning, and how Grateful they should be to have her be the face of their company when she’s behind the counter. Like I said, I’m a big fan of the vest, but now I’m a bigger fan of the company and the fine ladies (and men) who work there. When summer hits before long it’ll get put in the back of the closet but when I pull it out next fall, it’ll be good as new…

Grateful Blog Day 103: Yesterday I stopped off at a rest area to stretch my legs and write this blog. I had it all written—a picture, the works. But a storm kicked up and somewhere in the wind of the Columbia River gorge it disappeared into cyberspace and just as likely into thin air. I can’t recreate it so there’s no point in trying. The thing is when I realized it happened I was already back in the car, driving again, and just a few hours from home. I’d been out for several days and I was Grateful to be so close to home. There are many days that I feel that the ‘Grateful Blog’ is really special—and I so value that folk’s take time out of their busy days to read it. And some days I feel like I’m just another guy trying to shout above the interstate traffic into the spring Columbia River wind and who really just wants to drive that last 200 miles to get back home to his wife. It was a long and sometime’s crazy trip, and I’m Grateful to make it home again, safe and sound.

Grateful Blog Day 102: Woke up this morning to this scene in Mountain Time but still deep in the canyons of SE Oregon at Succor Creek.

Yesterday I wandered the canyons of Leslie Gulch, my new favorite place. The guide book said to take the right fork but the left fork looked steep–and more interesting. So I climbed over several plunge pools and rock faces and was treated to a solitary and beautiful side canyon few might ever venture to see. I lingered awhile, wary of my water supply and knowing I’d need to find another way back down. I was Grateful that my old desert Canyonlands Park Ranger instincts kicked in for I traversed a saddle or 2, dropped into a different side canyon and followed the wash safely back to the truck.

Its been an amazing trip…the weather’s cooperated, the scenery is incommparable…but mostly I’m Grateful to spend some time alone and let the land–the mountains, canyons, rivers and hot springs, work their magic on me.

And I’m Grateful finally for a bit of patience…its often hard to come by but out here on the dirt roads in the remote backcountry, patience isn’t just a virtue, its a survival skill,knowing that you’ve got to slow down on some pretty crazy and narrow roads…and stopping to remember where you’ve been and where you’re going…

Grateful Blog Day 101: I drove 11 hours to get here. Took the long way by far. Lakeview. Plush. Adel. Denio. Fields. Andrews. Last night around midnight while soaking in the spring, the moon rose orange and slow, shimmering over the Alvord desert playa…it was the most magnificent and indescribable thing. This morning in the sagebrush I just sat and listened while the birds sang to me. The whole desert sings. There are no tricks…you just to keep coming and wait and wait and wait…somewhere like last night and this morning I’m reminded again why I keep coming back, because in all that waiting I always find that my spirit was alive and well all along…you just have to wait. And listen. And sure enough the birds will sing, the moon will rise and your spirit will come alive. After all, there’s so much to be Gateful for…

Grateful Blog Day 100: I waited 3 times on the highway today…once for a herd of deer another a herd of Bighorn sheep and then for a real live cattle drive…I was Grateful to be driving slow and sightseeing and to have met up with them during the day and not at night…stopped in at the famous Adel store (under new ownership) for gas and an ice cold coke…I’m Grateful for both since the next town is 90 miles away…Happy Trails!

Grateful Blog: Day 99: 99 Days of the Grateful Blog…wow…I’m STILL Amazed at this point that I’ve made it this far and that I’m still at it. But the thing is I’m leaving. Not forever, but for a while. It’s true I COULD use a break but I’ve been so touched and amazed by the daily responses I get that I come back each and every day and find inspiration in the act of being Grateful. It’s made me more aware of ALL the blessings in my life and that WAS the point. To celebrate all the things and people that we’re Grateful for.

But my life is busy and complicated. I regularly work 50-60 hour weeks. It’s hard to squeeze in sometimes when you’re just getting home from work at 9pm and then reach into your life or your day and find that inspiration. One of my great inspirations, from 30 years ago now, is the American intermountain West. That great expanse west of the Rockies and east of the wet coastal mountain ranges. What they call ‘Basin and Range’ country of the Great Basin. Out there in the sagebrush sea: Wild horses, antelope, coyotes, tumbleweeds, small towns, cowboys and big, open blue skies with the horizon as far as the eye can see. That’s the country that inspires me the most. I can’t explain and I won’t attempt to try.

The truck is packed, a sleeping bag, some wood, water, extra gas and spare shovel. Like I said, it’s big country and it’s remote as hell. Look on a map of Oregonwhere it meets Nevada and Idaho. See that blank spot on the map? Down near Steens Mountain and the Alvord desert? Yeah, that’s the place. Then on through the Owyhee Country and up through Pendleton (time to finally make good on a new custom made cowboy hat). That’s as much of a ‘plan’ as I need to know. There’s also a few old favoritehot springsI need to visit and soak for a few days. You know, warm up from a long winter and loosen the bones up from sleeping on the ground with no tent, just me and the stars and the coyotes. My old truck knows the dirt roads at least as good as I do and frankly, half the joy is not knowing what comes next, but it’s good a spare 5 gallons of extra gas just the same.

So if I can somehow figure out how to do ‘The Grateful Blog’ from my phone and I actually get some service, which is next to nothing out there, I’ll take a stab at it. If not, well I’ll be back, scruffy, wide-eyed, and smelling of sagebrush fires, cigars and whiskey. I’ve got my Martin guitar, a few old favorite books I’ve been meaning to re-read (there ain’t no stinkin’ ‘E-Books’ in the desert man!) and a 12 gauge shotgun just to keep the rattlesnakes honest. It’s THAT sort of country after-all. And it’s my favorite kind of country. Time to get back there and make sure thehot springsand I survived another long winter. Somewhere about 450 miles and 9 hours from here tonight, I’ll be Grateful to know that in both cases it’s true. See you down the trail!